


Just a little Mischief

by Gyoro_and_Ururun



Series: Of Love and Fate [2]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Eventual Tasertricks!, Gen, Loki Redemption, Magicless Loki
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-20
Updated: 2015-11-21
Packaged: 2018-02-09 16:34:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1989966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gyoro_and_Ururun/pseuds/Gyoro_and_Ururun
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Loki wakes up to find that he is, in fact, not dead. He decides to return to Asgard with no real plan other than to cause some sort of mischief.</p><p>When he realises that there might be a way to bring Frigga back from the dead, what is he willing to do to make that happen?</p><p>Sequel to Every story needs excitement.</p><p>(Tasertricks will likely happen in the next story!! Never fear!)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. No, thank you

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! 
> 
> So I finally came up with a name for the series and wrote the first chapter. Not overly long, but longer than the chapters in the first story. XD This will follow Loki from the end of Thor 2 through CA2/AoS (fair warning, like I do with most of the parts of fics with the film storylines in, it may be a little rushed. No point boring you with what you've already watched. ;) ) and up to a certain point. This is not the last piece of this series, I assure you. ;) Oh and I apologise in advance, some parts may kinda seem alike to Paths Entwined, but I assure you that it will be handled differently. 
> 
> Enjoy!

**July 2012**

**Svartalfheim/Asgard**

 

So _that_ was what that stone did.

Loki lay on the ground of Svartalfheim, exactly where Thor had left him. The wound gone and a green stone that glowed with a beautiful light in his hand as he studied it. He’d had it for quite some time, knowing that it was powerful and yet, its power had been a mystery to him. _Him_ , the master of magic. Perhaps that was the very power of this stone, that its mysteries remained so for anyone who touched it. Fascinating. He wanted to study it more, but he did not think it would bring forth any good finds.

He sat up slowly, placing the stone into one of his hidden inner pockets before standing up with a groan. Asgard’s boat still remained, which would be an advantage to him. He walked over to it as he phased into the form of Hndgr, a trusty guard he used here and there for his own amusement. Loki had given him life, a back story, over the many years he had taken his form, even though he did not technically exist. No one save his mother knew it, for he could not very well trick her, not without much planning and thought.

He enjoyed this form, simply for the ease of passage and the favour he could gain. Sometimes just being a Prince was not enough. They respected him, but only for his title. At least, that is what he had always thought. As Hndgr, he was a warrior, respected as such and he enjoyed the break it gave him. At the very least, his other persona was far better liked, especially now. Whether it would be easier to be him or perhaps worse, he did not know.

Loki returned to Asgard and headed straight for the palace, its familiar walls damaged from the recent attacks. Not quite so much as it would have been had Thor not disobeyed Odin’s orders. Odin had become a fool, one he would kill if it were not for his mother’s love.  Odin had lost his wife and being alive would be painful for him. The heartache, the suffering…if he had to suffer it, then Odin would too. Odin, who had not given his own wife enough protection against the siege. Odin who wanted Loki dead.

He stepped into one of the three throne rooms the palace had, all with different purposes, and this one was in a bad shape. Odin stood near the broken throne, looking every bit as broken as the throne itself. It was uncomfortable to watch, but he had to go on.

“Forgive me, my Liege. I have returned from the dark world with news,” Loki said.

“Thor?” Odin asked, obviously worried for his son.

“There is no sign of Thor or the weapon, but…” Loki said, pausing to step closer.

“What?” Odin asked.

“They found a body,” Loki said. He watched Odin’s expression, difficult to read as always.

“Loki.”

Loki looked at him for a moment before nodding confirmation. Odin seemed to grow older then and it surprised Loki that the old man appeared to mourn the man’s loss.

He played dumb, for the moment. “At least now Asgard can rest easy, knowing that Loki can no longer burden their cells and their lives and―” Loki started.

“Hold your tongue,” Odin spat. He stepped closer to Loki, his eye doing that thing when he got angry. He hated that thing. “You forget your place, Hndgr, that you are speaking to your King and that you are speaking ill of your late Prince. If you value your tongue, you will leave now.”

“I apologise, my Lord,” Loki said, bowing his head before turning to leave. He was nearly at the door when Odin spoke again.

“Oh, and Loki? If you so much as split someone’s hair, you _will_ be back in that cell of yours,” Odin said.

What? How did he…Loki had always been very careful, how did he know?

“I know not of what you speak, my Lord, I am Hndgr…your son is dead,” Loki replied calmly.

“You take me for a fool, Loki, that I would not know it is you? Perhaps I was fooled at first, but over the centuries, I had an inkling. And today, well, a good knight would bring back the body and would not goad a response out of me, hm?” Odin said.

Loki turned around and phased back into himself, as ragged as he had been on Svartalfheim.

“So, what now? I doubt you will simply let me leave here,” Loki said.

“Everything I have said and every reaction I have elicited in this room today has not been a lie, Loki,” Odin said.

“Really? After you lock me up, not allowing visitation from my mother, after you tell me that you would have me killed if not for her? Oh yes, I believe you,” Loki said spitefully.

“Oh? Did you not lead the Dark Elf Kurse in the right direction? One that led him to your mother,” Odin asked. “In anger, in spite, I said those things, Loki. I have made many mistakes, as have you. I know not whether anything between us can be repaired, but I know I cannot keep you locked up any longer.”

“You could not have kept me anyway,” Loki said. “I stayed only for mother’s sake. That maybe one day I would be released on your terms.”

“And so you have. I will make good on my threat, Loki. No more harm, or you will definitely be unable to escape,” Odin said.

“Very well. I did not plan it, anyway,” Loki said.

 

* * *

 

Loki’s quick getaway didn’t quite turn out as planned.

He had been about to leave the palace and venture out when Odin collapsed. It was strange what many years of loving a person, no matter how much they had showed one son favouritism over the other, did to a person. It felt like it did before; panic overwhelmed him, but this time he took hold of his…of Odin and transported him to his chambers, setting him up comfortably in his bed. He was still conscious, barely, but enough for him to point towards his study.

“My…desk…” Odin wheezed, before falling into Odinsleep.

Loki stood up and walked into Odin’s study after making sure he was still alive. It was a small private library of sorts with lots of mahogany and reds. The desk stood neatly and Loki started looking through it. In the desk drawer sat a box with his own name engraved inside it. He opened it, a little confused as to why such a thing existed. It even held his colours, the sides and corners all made of gold while the middle parts were lined with green velvet. By sight alone, he would say it was his mother’s doing, but the energy suggested Odin. There was once a time when he crafted such things.

Loki opened the box and saw all manner of pictures, of him as a baby, a child, a young man…an adult and even ones of them both, and of himself and Thor. Underneath it lay an unopened letter with his name on it. He put the box down and stared at it for a while, wondering what could be in it. An odd action, writing a letter between family, one who lived together so closely. He took out a knife and slashed it open at the top before taking the letter out and reading it. He sat down as he read through the letter that Odin had written a little after his ‘death’ two years ago. A long letter of his regrets, his feelings when he had taken Loki as a baby, how happy Loki had made him and his mother. A long letter that Odin never thought he would be able to give because at the time his son was presumed dead. Loki had too much pain and anger in his heart to fully forgive Odin or think of him as father again so quickly, but it was a good start. Chances were, they both needed to sit down and talk, get past their egos.

Loki folded the letter up and placed it back into the envelope, sealing it again with magic. He placed the box back into the drawer and returned to Odin’s side, sitting down next to him as he slept. Loki sat there for a while without speaking, knowing very well Odin could hear everything even whilst asleep. It had been a long time coming. He had not slept enough in the time Thor had been banished and he had been through a lot of stress. How long would he sleep for now?

Months, likely.

Loki sighed. “Where to start…I have felt overshadowed for much of my life and usually I have been able to quell it, find solace elsewhere, but finding out about the lies, about what I am…I snapped and went about proving my worth to you in a completely foolish way. I could not bear to return to Asgard shamed, so I let go, intending to die. It did not happen. A terrifying and most powerful being named Thanos rescued me, and I speak that with great sarcasm. He wanted me to take the Tesseract for him, but I refused…let us just say that eventually he managed to break my will…I was his slave and I did my best to fight it, gathering the heroes and making them angry. Most would think I underestimated the importance of a normal, albeit armed, military agent whose existence was very little more significant than any other mortal walking upon Midgard. I very rarely work without reason, for who better understands the insignificant, the invisible and lesser loved than a monster abandoned by his birth parents? Than a Prince outmatched by his older brother, whom everyone prefers? Of course, it was a pity to have to kill such a man, but he was a soldier, willing to die for the cause. Willing to make such a sacrifice and be remembered as a hero,” Loki said, speaking calmly and as if with calculation, yet he spoke just what came to him there and then.

“Defeat was humiliating, but it was a sacrifice I had to make…I am sorry, I really am, for all those lives lost. It was inevitable; more would have died had I not worked the way I did. And now, _now_ , after all this…I still care for you, old man, whether or not I want to, and I am sure you feel the same. Mother is lost to us…what is there left, really? I suppose, though, I should make sure Asgard does not fall into disarray. Sleep, for I do not wish to remain on Asgard long,” Loki said, standing up and walking towards the door.

 

* * *

 

 

Sitting on the throne, now fixed thanks to his magic, was a strange feeling. Loki currently occupied it pretending to be Odin, not wishing for Asgard to fall into panic after such a catastrophe. Loki wasn’t overly sure why he cared, but he did, and oh, it would be so, that his brother would come in now. The trouble was over and Thor wanted to be with his human love…even give up the throne. Interesting. Odin need not worry, if he truly did not want their union, then he would perhaps have his heir back when the mortal dies. Quite frankly Loki thought Odin needed to think long and hard about his opinions. So against killing humans and yet, he thinks of them as cattle. He doubted his mother thought anything bad of Thor’s human lover.

Nevertheless, Loki watched Thor leave, off to see his mortal love no doubt. All the while, Loki phased back into himself with a smirk.

“No, thank you,” Loki whispered.

He enjoyed this, tricking his brother. It was amusing. No doubt the two would talk for real one day and realise this little talk happened. By then, Loki would be long gone and his brother would be furious. Of course, Thor did find some tricks funny in the past, but his patience was quick to fall thin. Pity, really. Loki phased back into Odin and kept up the charade. He did hope Odin would wake up soon as he really didn’t fancy pretending to be him for too long. Loki had done it in the past, many centuries ago, though only his mother and Odin had realised it. They hadn’t reprimanded him for it, especially since nothing bad had come from it.

He missed those old days. Ones he could never go back to.

 


	2. This sudden change of heart is rather frightening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki is King and a certain female warrior has escaped. You really had to hand it to Odin; he certainly is quite prepared for an invasion that would confound all of the males.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! 
> 
> I must have missed off the thanks for the comments on the last chapter of Every story, so I'll include those here.
> 
> Thanks for the kudos and thanks to **Shadows_of_Shemai** (Fury needs to lighten up. | I know that in canon it will likely be Loki being a bad guy, rather than me giving him a more redeemable situation, but I'm also going to try and keep it reasonably in character. He's still going to be an annoying pain in the butt, too. It IS Loki, after all. Best backseat driver EVER) and **WanderWoman** (Thanks! I couldn't resist. XD Darcy is pretty awesome and I'd love these two to actually meet. Coulson and Fury just going to be retiring early the next time they see her. Well, not really, but in that parody sort of way. | :D Hope you enjoy this next one!) for your comments, they make me happy.  <3 
> 
> Loki doesn't have much to follow with the other films, but he does have a very, very indirect involvement (and mentions hahaha!) in one particular place.
> 
> Enjoy!

**January 2013.**

**Asgard.**

Being King and being Odin had its merits. No one questioned him, no one seemed to suspect him and best of all, he had some extra powers he could draw upon. The ability to see most things in the universe was admittedly a power he lacked, but then, it was only through the use of Gungnir that Odin had it as well, so Loki was content with that knowledge. Heimdall, of course, was born with eyes of the stars, able to see most things as well. Loki had long learnt how to avoid his gaze and the power of Gungnir, so that he might play out his schemes in secret.

Nearly half a year had lapsed and still Odin slept. Loki spent much of his time either attending to matters or speaking to the still sleeping Odin, telling him his problems and getting it off of his chest. He also made daily updates of the goings on in Asgard, along with keeping track of Thor.

“He really seems to like the mortal woman and I have to say that I cannot blame him. If he changed his mind about Kingship, she would make a good Queen,” Loki said. He sighed, leaning against the wall at the head of Odin’s bed. “What will you do now? You have no heir, you are barely holding on yourself. Perhaps you need to think about taking an apple, revitalising yourself a little? Your kind of power takes its toll; you were not meant for magic. You know that.”

He stayed there for a moment before he heard knocking on the door. Loki’s guise as Odin returned and the room was always illusioned anyway. He stepped quietly over to his desk and sat down.

“Come in,” Loki said.

Guards entered and bowed. “Your Majesty, we have a problem. The prisoner Lorelei has escaped,” one of them said.

Loki stood up and walked towards the guards. “Send Lady Sif and the Warriors to the audience chamber,” Loki said, walking past them and towards the chamber.

It didn’t take them long to meet him there and he realised that Asgard was terribly unprepared for this sort of task. Men did not stand a chance and they only had one woman in their arsenal. Even if his mother was still here, Odin would never let Frigga go in pursuit of Lorelei.

“Lorelei has escaped and she must be returned to Asgardian prison. Lady Sif, you must be the one to bring her back, as her power will have no effect on you,” Loki said. “After you bring her back, I think it is high time we train up more warriors, particularly female.”

The warriors looked shocked while Sif raised an eyebrow, likely a little suspicious.

“Do you think that I wish for something like this to occur again? We had enough trouble capturing her the last time,” Loki said.

“Last time we had Loki. Even if he were alive, we could not trust him,” Hogun said.

“Nonsense, he died for Thor,” Fandral said.

“To get out of prison, I am sure. The little snake,” Sif said.

“Hold your tongue, Sif,” Loki said. Sif frowned at him briefly, but straightened up. “Go. Heimdall will send you where you need to go and if you can get the help of the organisation known as S.H.I.E.L.D., do so. Fandral, Hogun and Volstagg will bring a powerful sorcerer from Vanaheim to ready her new cell. She will not escape again.”

Loki stepped forward and gave Sif the collar she needed to use on Lorelei. He watched her go, knowing that he would not be able to bring Lorelei back for numerous reasons. For one he would reveal himself and two, he had not the strength to withstand her anymore. Thanos had taken care of that. He hoped that Sif would succeed; having Lorelei out there was both dangerous for the universe and aggravating. He knew Sif would keep her temper, keep her emotions at bay as she rarely let them take over. Himself, well, he had to try not to kill her himself. It would be far too easy a punishment.

He would keep her in prison until such a time that the real Odin could give proper punishment. Loki did not trust himself; he hated Lorelei with a passion and it would be difficult to say who hated her more, Sif or himself. It was a pretty close call and he wasn’t about to compare it. He and Sif had not been the closest of people, but Lorelei had been one thing they had agreed on.

Now he had watch and wait as Sif went to work. When the warriors brought the sorcerer, he oversaw the reconstruction of a better cell, one far more cut off from the rest and with much more defensive spells upon it. Loki scrutinised it until he was thoroughly satisfied, paying the sorcerer for his efforts and ordering the warriors to station themselves ready for such a situation that they needed to protect Asgard.

Loki grew restless, watching the fighting through the use of Gungnir and relieved when Sif and the mortals managed to successfully win the battle. He waited in the formal throne room until Sif led Lorelei into it followed by the warriors. He gave her the typical stern talk before telling Sif and the warriors to lead her down into the dungeon where her cell was. Loki followed, wanting to make sure she was definitely locked up and secure. Once she was, he led the warriors back up into the informal throne room. He turned to them with an unreadable expression.

“As always, Asgard gives you its thanks,” Loki said. “I would ask your help again, but not for today. Tomorrow we will begin recruiting more warriors and Sif, I would like you especially to find some female talent. It is about time Asgard saw some change.”

“If you do not mind me asking, why the sudden change?” Fandral asked. “I do not wish to be rude, Your Majesty.”

“In Frigga’s honour and for the dire situation we were placed in with Lorelei. Thor has shed some light over my recent behaviour and it reaches back further than that, to the trouble it has caused with regards to Loki,” Odin said.

Fandral nodded, looking understanding and smiling. “Perhaps we should toast these changes in the late Queen and Prince’s honour? It would be quite fitting,” Fandral said.

Loki had always liked Fandral and the two had always shared an easy friendship, despite their differences. Fandral had been the closest to him of the warriors and Sif, and he did enjoy their friendship. At least, what it had been.

“For now, you are to return to your homes for the night,” Loki said, turning and returning to Odin’s chambers. Oh how he wished the old man would simply wake up already, he did not want to walk around in this disguise any longer. He sighed and sat down next to the old man.

Loki must have fallen asleep, for he woke up and looked around. He realised quickly that he was in Odin’s room in the bed. Loki sat up and blinked when he saw Odin sat next to his bedside.

“Nearly six months since I fell into my sleep and Asgard still stands along with the other realms,” Odin said.

“I could hardly do anything until I had a thorough talking with you,” Loki shot back at him.

“It has been a long time coming; I just wish it had not been this late,” Odin said.

“The idea of you still caring about me is still a little surprising, I am afraid,” Loki said.

“Understandable,” Odin said.

“Oh, yes, I might have started a revolution on Asgard. Not of the violent kind, just that we need more warriors, especially female ones. I think it is high time Asgard stopped being arrogant fools,” Loki said.

“Lorelei. I heard,” Odin said. He sighed, sounding ever the old man. So different he was to the angry man who sentenced him to eternity in prison. “I will allow these changes. It is as you say; we have become stubborn and unruly, and I have been hypocritical.”

“This sudden change of heart is rather frightening. Are you an imposter?” Loki asked.

“Loki. Your mother’s death and Thor’s brief return, along with his reasons to betray Asgard have put matters into perspective. I will improve Asgard. But what of you, Loki? I cannot let you go if I think there are anymore plans to cause chaos,” Odin said.

Loki was about to say something when a guard burst through the chamber doors. How rude.

“Your Majesty, great news―” The guard started before spotting Loki and drawing his sword. “Your Majesty!”

“I believe that is my cue to leave. Must dash, goodbye,” Loki said before transporting himself into the streets of Asgard, invisible of course. It appeared the royal family of Vanaheim were here to visit. How exciting. Loki didn’t stick around to find out why they were here or whether anyone would come looking for him. He transported himself to Vanaheim and found a bench to sit down on.

Loki looked around and realised where he was. He looked past everything and looked back, to a past long gone, to a time when his mother had brought the two brothers here when they were younger. Four and five, they had few worries to contend with. A little competitiveness in regards to the throne, but playful. A little orchard where the two of them had played games and battled imaginary monsters. Where Loki had freaked Thor out a little with magic for the first time. Their mother had soothed the two, explaining to Thor that like Thor, Loki had his own special talents. She had them too.

A tear slipped down his face as the images of his mother played before his eyes, knowing that he never even got to say goodbye. A ball of light appeared in his hand, sparking there and crackling before it raised into the air, lifting up and disappearing behind the clouds. He blinked and wiped away the tear, staring up at the sky. He sat there for a few more moments before he noticed a golden light drop between the clouds, floating down towards him. He frowned and stood up.

It floated there for a moment before floating away through the trees. Loki followed it. It led him to the lake and it floated up into the air. He stared up at it and then behind it, realising what he could see. Niflheim was only a small dot, but he knew it was there. It became clear now, what the golden ball was trying to tell him. Strange that he could learn something from such an obscure action, but he had come to learn how to interpret his mother’s messages. His heart thumped in his chest. Was it possible?

 

* * *

 

It didn’t take long for Loki to reach Niflheim and when he did, he headed straight for the portal that would lead him into Helheim. It was an awful path to take to the gates of the dead, but he had taken it many times before. Most other times had been social visits to the keeper of Helheim, but now he had another purpose. Only, he wasn’t sure he was going to make it back out again this time.

Loki came to the large, ornate black gates and stopped, waiting for Hel to meet him. He didn’t have to wait long as he saw the slender figure walking towards him with an air of confidence that was quite her own. Hel was tall and half-fair skinned with black hair and a green eye, half-deathly pale with a sharp yellow eye and silvery hair. A beautiful young woman whom most were taken aback by her mere appearance, but Loki had never cared about any of that. It was an interesting relationship, something like siblings.

She wore a long white dress and looked well in her element; which she was. He almost dreaded to hear what would come of this.

“Loki, you look well. Too bad you had that stone,” Hel smirked.

“I do not think you could put up with me,” Loki said, winking at her. He took a deep breath and was about to speak when he was interrupted.

“You come to bring your mother back to the world of the living,” Hel said. A bit of a pause. “It comes with a price.”

“Yes, I was quite sure it would. What is the price?” Loki asked.

“Are you willing to risk everything?” Hel asked. “I will release her _before_ you find out the price. I will not bargain with you, Son of Chaos.”

Loki licked his lip; literally anything could be the price, including something being wrong with his mother. Was he willing to risk it? After a deep breath, he nodded.

His mother appeared on the floor as if she were sleeping and Loki dropped down, picking her up with ease and holding her to him. He looked up and waited, wondering what the price would be.

“You will spend the next one hundred years without your magic and living on Midgard. Once your mother has been returned to Asgard, she will not be able to leave there for a year, as she will need time to regain her strength,” Hel said.

Loki’s eyes widened. “And you would have pushed me into this regardless of whether I said yes or no to your terms?” Loki hissed.

Hel shrugged. “Nothing comes easy here, Loki. You made the choice to come here. You need to be without magic for a while; I have foreseen great tragedies to come, and some have shown you to be its maker. You will therefore spend time on Midgard to reflect on your life,” Hel said.

“Clever, I will give you that. I could easily bide my time and then attack,” Loki said, his eyes narrowed.

Hel smirked. “I doubt it. Do not fight it, Loki. You could be happy again. This is your last chance of freedom and to prove to your mother that you deserve her love,” Hel said. “Now go.”

Loki scowled at her. “You could at least allow me the ability to disguise myself,” Loki said.

“Very well, but it will be extremely limited, and if you use it for ill, there will be consequences,” Hel said.

Loki felt his magic being pulled away from him and turned, leaving. It took him a while, but he finally found his way to the surface and requested that Heimdall return him to Asgard. It didn’t take as long as he would expect and soon he was staring at the ever stoic Guardian. He did not say anything to the Dark Prince and Loki took that as his permission to carry on. He walked down the Bifrost and knew he was in for a rough time. Not that he blamed anyone.

Guards soon came to him, looked mortified at who he was carrying and took her from him, escorting him back to the palace. He was brought before Odin and pushed down onto his knees as Odin inspected his wife, shocked and disbelieving.

“Loki, explain yourself!” Odin said. “What is going on?”

Loki attempted to stand up, but swords lined his throat, keeping him perched uncomfortably on his knees. He could see the warriors and Sif rush in; oh, Sif would enjoy this. He kept his eyes on the ground, his humour quickly draining out of him. He could not even use his magic to escape, though he imagined that Odin would have put a forcefield up, so it would take him a bit longer anyway. Not to mention these blades were made from such an ore that cancelled out most magic…or at least weakened it. They were quite prepared.

“You really had us fooled; to think we had thought you had returned some of your honour by dying for Thor, but here you are, a coward,” Sif said.

“Sif, enough!” Odin said.

Loki laughed, looking up at her. “You are merely sore that you had to take orders from me,” Loki said.

Sif frowned. “What?” She asked.

“Oh, you do not know? Odin was in Odinsleep, ever since the convergence ended…and up until the moment the guards spotted me, I had been disguised as him, looking after Asgard,” Loki said, grinning at her cruelly. “And you said I could not rule a Kingdom.”

“How dare you! I―” Sif started, but Odin stopped her.

“Enough. Hold your tongue or you will take up residence in the dungeons,” Odin said to Sif, before looking at Loki. “Now explain yourself.”

Loki sighed, as if it were a great burden. “I found myself following a messenger orb and being led to Niflheim, onto Helheim and…I struck a bargain with Hel for mother’s return. It all seemed rather planned, so perhaps it was supposed to happen,” Loki said.

“Hel does not just let people return to the living…it must be true. What did you give up?” Odin asked.

Loki looked at Odin and he must have seen something.

“Ah,” Odin said, gravely.

“My magic, and I am to serve all one hundred years on Midgard, once I am sent from here,” Loki said. “I have limited shapeshifting ability in order to disguise myself when necessary…and mother cannot leave Asgard for a year, she will need to regain her strength.”

“That is punishment enough…I assume your magic would not be returned to you if you did not deserve it?” Odin asked.

Loki laughed. “Hel made that quite clear,” Loki said.

“Once those hundred years are up, Asgard will welcome you back,” Odin said.

Loki’s head shot up and he looked at him incredulously, just as Sif made a noise of protest. He ignored her. “What?” Loki asked.

“You assisted Thor and his mortal lover without betraying them, saved Thor’s life in lieu of your own and you looked after Asgard in my absence. I heard everything you said, Loki, to me while I slept. I am partially responsible for your changes, and perhaps one day we can have a lengthy discussion,” Odin said. “But for now, you must be sent to Midgard. Farewell, my son.”

There was nothing cold about Odin’s expression as Loki felt himself sent through a portal to Midgard, courtesy of Hel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone who's read my fic Paths Entwined will see the other similarity here. Sorry about that. I hope it's not too dull and I realise quite possibly unrealistic, but it is a hefty swap, well, in my opinion because magic is quite important to him and he'll need to make some repairs on Midgard if he wants to get it back.


	3. Then I suppose you will have to kill me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki integrates himself into Midgardian society and soon realises that he can't seem to stay out of trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!
> 
> Sorry for the late update, muse has been awful and time kinda flies, suddenly in mooonths since you last updated. 
> 
> Thanks for the kudos and the comments, they mean a lot to me. <3

**January-March 2013.**

**Washington D.C.**

  
Loki had landed in the capital of the same country he had caused trouble on before. With some effort, he transformed himself so that no one would recognise him and he took some time to take a look around. Loki hadn’t really visited the capital before and he did like to know a place before integrating himself into it. A few hours into it, he bumped into a very familiar face; the woman who had attacked him with her weapon when he had been causing a distraction in Stuttgart. He had to admit, he did admire a woman with such fire. The fact that she had taken down Thor as well was quite a bonus.

He took hold of her elbows to stop her falling over and gave her a kind smile.

“Sorry, I must have been lost in thoughts again,” the woman said.

“Not to worry,” Loki said.

He bent down and picked up a couple of things she had dropped, one of which was a piece of paper requesting a roommate. Loki looked up at her and smiled as he gave her the items.

“You require a roommate?” Loki asked.

“Uh, yeah, my last one just left and I kinda could do with sharing the rent and all,” the woman said.

He held out his hand. “I am Leon Lockett, it is nice to meet you…I am looking for a room to stay in, but…ah, no, it is too much trouble,” Loki said.

“Darcy Lewis…what do you mean?” She asked.

“The thing is, I have yet to secure myself a job, so I would not be able to pay my part of the, ah, rent,” Loki said.

“How about this: you get that job and we can work something out. I think we should get to know each other first anyway; I wouldn’t want to let an axe murderer into my home, right?” Darcy said with a laugh, clearly joking.

“How did you see right through me?” Loki teased.

“I’m psychic,” Darcy said with a nod.

“It should be no trouble; how about I get your number and I will call you when I have good news,” Loki said.

Loki managed to get her number and he knew exactly where to get a job; with S.H.I.E.L.D. He thought it would be greatly ironic and he did love a bit of humour. How to get recruited was another question; he couldn’t use his magic, so he couldn’t really cheat his way in. He was interrupted from his thoughts by Darcy again.

“Hey, so I decided you can stay regardless; I’ll help you get a job, if you like,” Darcy said.

Loki’s eyes widened; this girl didn’t know him at all, yet she was willing to let him in? How odd; he had thought most mortals were rather untrusting and unwilling to give a chance to strangers, or at least had been told not to talk to them as a child. Even as an adult, one should be wary.

“You are willing to trust a stranger?” Loki asked.

“I’m kinda good at reading people and you don’t seem like a threat to me,” Darcy said. “I know it sounds stupid; I dunno, I’ve never really done what people have expected me to do. Plus, I carry a taser, so I could have you shaking on the floor if you tried anything.”

“Haha, fair enough. I would like to accept your offer, then,” Loki said. “I promise you that I will give you no reason to use your taser on me. It sounds unpleasant.”

It was very unpleasant and he did not care to feel it again. He walked with Darcy back to her apartment and she told him the password he would need to get into the building, plus there was the key to get into the apartment itself, which she had in the kitchen. Loki wondered how she would feel if she knew who he was; probably ready to use her weapon on him again. He tried not to think about how he could no longer be himself; it was a little bit saddening. He enjoyed taking on different guises, but usually he was able to return to his form without trouble.

Loki looked around the apartment with ease and turned to Darcy when they were finished. “I must thank you again for your hospitality; until such a time that I have a means to contribute, I would like to take on anything in this apartment that does not require money,” Loki said. He would be nice and charm this girl; surely making friends would make it easier for him to blend into society.

If Thor could see him now…he would likely be quite angry. He wondered when the oaf would find out that Loki was indeed alive. He wasn’t sure he would live for very long, so he hoped that Thor was a little too busy with his Lady Jane. After all, the two of them haven’t seen each other in two years and have a lot to make up for. Loki wondered whether Darcy Lewis was still friends with Jane; he wasn’t sure he wanted a visit, just in case Thor should realise who he was or if he had been told by Heimdall who to look for and where.

He took a bathroom break even though he did not need to and stared out of the window at the sky. “Heimdall…I ask that I have no trouble,” Loki said. “I am sure Odin has told you to keep watch over me, but I assure you…you have nothing to worry about.”

Loki spent a little more time staring out of the window before making a show of flushing the toilet and washing his hands and leaving the room.

“I hope you put the seat down,” Darcy said in a voice he could tell was only pretending to be serious. “Just kidding, I don’t really care.”

“Do people here make a fuss about the seat?” Loki asked. He had no idea why there would be a problem.

“Some people get catty about guys leaving the seat up; to me, everyone’s gotta pee,” Darcy said. “Would you like a drink? Oh, let me show you where I put things…”

 

* * *

 

Loki learnt where all of the food and drink things went before she forced him to watch some movie about a man dressing up as a woman called Mrs. Doubtfire. As it turned out, it was an amusing picture and over the next few months when he was not working or otherwise occupied, he would find himself watching numerous of these movies mortals enjoyed so much.

He was given an old ‘laptop’ of hers, which turned out to be a portable computer. He had some knowledge of Midgardian technology, but he would have to take some time to acquaint himself with it. Of course, Asgard had its own, ‘superior’ technology, but it was quite different here. Loki liked the idea that he could take the thing out of his room and into the kitchen. He managed to find the location of the nearest S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters without being detected and took a trip down there. It was all quite top secret and he used his wit and charm to get himself in there.

It wasn’t easy, of course, but it was certainly a challenge and quite fun. It had been a little less than a week since he had moved in with the beautiful Darcy and he had finally come up with a means to fund his co-habitation with the witty brunette. He couldn’t deny that her company was pleasurable; she was both intelligent and very funny, so being around her wasn’t quite so tedious as it could have been.

 

* * *

 

Just over a month had passed and Loki found himself quite comfortable, despite his situation. He had no magic and was stuck on this realm for a century, and he knew it would be forever if he caused any trouble. He itched to make himself known, to cause an uproar and see how people would react, but he knew the consequences would not be favourable. Loki would content himself with little Midgardian jokes in the meantime, and he had just bought a few items, returning home with them.

However, his phone buzzed and he read the text he had received. Loki instantly deleted it and knocked on Darcy’s door, poking his head into the room.

“Hey, Darcy, do you want to go out somewhere?” He asked.

“Yeah, that sounds great,” Darcy said.

Loki and Darcy quickly got into his car and he made sure to pretend like there was nothing wrong, like he didn’t know what was going on since she didn’t know he was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and, honestly, he wasn’t sure how long he would be after this. Darcy had apparently hacked into their database and the agents were now after her. He knew for a fact that they knew she knew all about them and had hacked in the past, so what was the problem now? His superiors knew he lived with her and he was to keep an eye on her, but Darcy had never leaked any information; Loki reckoned she just got a thrill from hacking and liked learning new things.

Which led Loki to believe that something was going on that they didn’t want her knowing. He would find out later what exactly was going on, but for now he needed to get Darcy as far away as possible. He pretended to be oblivious to her fidgety behaviour and the phone calls she tried to make, and when they checked out the news, it appeared their apartment block had been set alight. Now that was extreme.

“It started in our apartment…” Leon mused.

“I didn’t do it…it’s…look, I can’t say much, but that and the reason we’re not returning are connected,” Darcy said. “We need to ditch the car too.”

“I won’t question it…” Leon said, nodding.

“You’re the best,” Darcy said.

Loki kept up the charade, if only to make sure she didn’t get herself into anymore trouble. If she knew what he was, she probably wouldn’t trust him right now. If anything, it would look like he was subtly trying to get her to S.H.I.E.L.D. and thus locked up. No, he needed to continue hiding the truth from her.

He could tell that she was getting bored staying in hiding; he was winning her in chess quite a bit and while they had a few games to work with, each got boring very quickly. Oddly, they could not find a pack of cards, which was a shame because he knew she would have more of a chance of winning. Loki understood the frustration of continuous loss quite well; without magic, Loki did not generally win in a battle against Thor and it came to a point in time where he refused to spar with his brother unless he was allowed to use magic.

However, it was not to last and he told Darcy to run on ahead, that he would catch up to her, and faced down the five agents that had come calling.

“Why are you after Darcy?” Loki asked.

“None of your concern, agent, but we’ll bring you in or kill you should you try to protest,” one of the agents said.

“Then I suppose you will have to kill me,” Loki said.

They were not bluffing, but their bullets ricocheted off of him and hit the floor. One even hit an agent’s foot, leaving him hopping around in pain. The other agents looked at him like he had grown an extra head and Loki couldn’t help the grin that formed as he felt the fire of battle light up in him; this was exciting. If there was something that strengthened Loki, it was being surrounded by multiple enemies. A cornered animal was a dangerous one and Loki started by pulling out his gun and slamming it into the face of the nearest agent before dodging an attack of another, pulling on his arm and throwing him easily over his shoulder.

A third agent charged and dropped after Loki instantly missed his magic; this was a moment where he would leave a double for the man to fall through, but alas, he he had simply step aside at the last minute and let the man fall over. He knocked him out before swinging around and winding the fourth agent. The fifth agent who’d had a bullet through his foot was nowhere to be seen and Loki ran out of the building to find the man attempting to get away.

He shot him in the back and the man dropped like a sack of potatoes.

Loki pocketed the gun and took the man’s communication device. He used it to contact his friend within S.H.I.E.L.D. and found out something very disturbing indeed; it appeared that an old adversary known as H.Y.D.R.A. had managed to infiltrate S.H.I.E.L.D. and it could only mean that chaos was not far off. He managed to track Darcy’s phone and realised she was at the Hub; that meant they had caught her.

He sighed and looked up at the sky; being effectively mortal had so many disadvantages. If he had his powers, he could transport himself instantly to her side, he could track people easier and even attempt to wipe out H.Y.D.R.A. in seconds…but that went against his ‘road to making amends.’ It wasn’t an option anyway; he could dream of destroying every last H.Y.D.R.A. agent, but at the end of the day he was as powerless as the rest of them. All he had left was his Asgardian strength.

So Loki drove all the way to the hub; it took a while, but when he got there it appeared that the good guys had managed to flush out the bad guys and he volunteered to take all of the bad agents, including John Garrett, to the Fridge. Darcy Lewis was safe with the good agents, and it turned out that Agent Coulson was alive after all…he was interested to find out how the man managed to survive.

He didn’t get much time to think as they got to the Fridge and all hell broke loose. Garrett had managed to break free and the agents had been shot down, all but himself and Agent Hand, who he told to stand behind him as Garrett stared at him in fascination.

“Well, well…bullettproof…just who are you, Agent Lockett? If that is your real name,” Garrett asked.

“Of course it is…now, stand down,” Loki said, but his gun had been knocked out of his hand in the fray.

“I’m afraid that’s not possible,” Garrett laughed.

Loki threw something to the ground and a little bit of smokescreen blocked the man’s view as Loki pulled Agent Hand through the corridors of the Fridge. He needed a weapon; both of them did, for they were horribly outnumbered. They ran deeper and deeper into the Fridge before they found something rather interesting. However, Agent Hand was knocked out by the sleeping gas of some kind that filled the chamber and he turned around to see Garrett behind the glass.

“Well, it looks like I can’t quite knock you out…but you won’t be leaving here either,” Garrett said, and metallic panels slammed down over every glass panel until there was nothing but the glow of the sceptre’s light.

He knelt down and checked on Agent Hand’s pulse; she was alive, but there was no telling how long they would be trapped inside this room and the sceptre was powerful, yes, but he did not think for one moment that this room had not been fortified to withstand its power. Not to mention it was the Mind Stone, not the Power stone and thus its capabilities were at its best when working with the mind. He needed to stay away from it lest he lose full control of his mind and his actions.

Although…it would be the nearest thing he has to magic, so if he did borrow it for the time being in order to assist in taking down H.Y.D.R.A., surely that would be alright? After all, using what he could to save people should show Asgard and Hel that he had indeed changed and allow them to overlook the fact that he had used a magical artifact. Loki wrapped his hand around the sceptre’s handle and picked it up from its holder, staring at the blue glow of it. He heard a groan behind him but did not move. Loki stood transfixed until a voice spoke up behind him.

“What happened? Is that you, Agent Lockett?”

Loki turned around to face the direction of Agent Hand, whose profile barely stood out in the darkness. He heard a sudden pull of the safety of her gun as she pointed it at him.

“Loki. What did you do to Agent Lockett?” Agent Hand asked sternly, without a flicker of fear.

Then he realised he was holding the sceptre and he put it down, putting his hands up above his head even though he knew that any bullet she shot would not hurt him. He felt his disguise return to him, though it was hardly useful now.

“Agent Hand…I realise you will find it difficult to believe me, but I have been disguised and working for this organisation for about two months now and I assure you that I am not H.Y.D.R.A…I have been sent to Midgard…to Earth…to stay for one hundred years without magic,” Loki replied.

“You are right; I do find it difficult to believe you,” Agent Hand said.

Loki then brought out his phone and flipped up a control panel, turning on the torch so that she could better see him. 

“You have returned to your disguise…I thought you had no magic?” Agent Hand asked.

“I have been allowed very limited shapeshifting ability; I could not change it completely at will, nor as often as I wish,” Loki explained.

The agent stared at him, her stare hard and unreadable, at least to an average person. Loki wondered whether Darcy was fairing well, but there was no real way of knowing since he was trapped in here.

“I’m stuck in here with you for the time being regardless; you can speak to me of anything you know that could be of use to us, and of how you came to be here,” Agent Hand said.

It was simple enough; she was an agent, someone sworn to protect this world even though the organisation she had stood by had turned out to be rotten in the core. Naturally if she was going to be stuck somewhere, she might as well learn more about a former enemy and try and glean anything valuable he might know. Loki would do the same if he was in her situation. He decided that it would be pointless to ask about the circumstance in which Coulson found himself alive, considering he was barely to be trusted.

 

* * *

 

  
Loki wasn’t sure how long they were there for, but despite her exceptional endurance, the superior agent was growing weak. She could only go on for so long without water without succumbing to dehydration and he only had one idea in his mind in regards to how to preserve her life. Loki wasn’t entirely sure whether it would work, but what choice did they have? However, he didn’t even get the chance to make the suggestion when suddenly the metal shutters all ascended and they were faced with Agent Coulson and some other agents, which was a relief.

“Garrett’s dead, and the Fridge is secure,” Agent Coulson said.

They were whisked off to the medical bay in no time, but undoubtedly there were more difficult times ahead of him.

Never a dull moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully that was okay!


	4. Perhaps a trick or two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki finds ways to live through his banishment...and Tony approves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Hope you're all having a great day/evening.
> 
> Thanks for the kudos and the comments, they make me happy. <3 I say that a lot but I mean it. :3 
> 
> Ironically this chapter is fitting for tomorrow, but I'm uploading today. 
> 
> Enjoy! (Also please see bottom notes!)

**March 2013.**

**The Hub.**

  
"You were Loki all this time?" Darcy asked.

Loki was sat in an interrogation room, though one with a bigger table, with Darcy, Agent Hand, Agent Coulson and a few other agents. He was still quite interested to find out how the man had survived, but he knew that wouldn’t be something he would find out now, if at all.

"I still am," he asked with a smirk, which made her roll her eyes.

"Did you know who I was when you bumped into me?" Darcy asked.

"Yes, of course," he replied.

"Anyway, Loki, we have a few questions. Miss. Lewis, you can ask all you want afterwards," Agent Coulson said.

Loki sat back in his chair, knowing what would likely come next and he looked forward to the moment he could walk away and take some much needed time to himself. Being part of S.H.I.E.L.D. had been fun while it lasted.

"First of all, why did you join S.H.I.E.L.D.? Were you collecting information? I get the feeling you aren’t working for H.Y.D.R.A.," Agent Coulson asked.

"No, I am not. I simply joined for the fun of it; I have no agenda, no further wish to cause problems on your realm…well, perhaps a trick or two, nothing particularly sinister," Loki answered.

"And we’re expected to believe that?"

Loki gave him a shrug; he knew quite well that he wasn’t going to be trusted by anyone anytime soon. Honestly, he wasn’t concerned; there was nothing they could do to him physically.

"I am without my magic and I am stuck on Midgard for a century. I would rather while away the time in relative peace rather than constantly needing to hide. In some manner," Loki said.

"So what you’re saying is that Earth is Asgard’s dumping ground?" Agent Coulson asked.

"I have not been banished per se…remaining here for a century and living without magic is the stipulation I paid for a certain favour I asked of a friend," Loki said. "And no, I will not explain any further. You will have to live with that explanation only."

"Being completely honest, I can’t get a read on you; what really happened two years ago when you came and caused trouble?" Agent Coulson asked.

"It was as Miss. Lewis said, I was under the control of a greater force…unfortunately her weapon only knocked me out of the control momentarily," Loki explained. He stayed silent a moment before clearing his throat. "I apologise…for what I did to you."

He spoke quieter, barely able to believe he’d even uttered the words; apologising was an embarrassing feat, one he was often reluctant to do simply because it felt like an admittance of weakness and the urge to keep up the denial that he was in any way at fault was high. It wasn’t exactly bound to just him; a lot of people on Asgard had such pride, especially the men. But now…he had to remember that his mother may not have died if he had not given the monster directions. Mayhap he would have taken longer to reach her and someone could have protected her by then.

She was alive again, of course, but it didn’t quell his guilt.

"Well, it kind of worked out in my favour in the end; killing me gave the team a reason to band together and save the world from you and your army, though it came at the price of some mint condition collectible cards I owned. Very difficult to replace; I’m still looking," Agent Coulson said.

Honestly, he had no clue what the man spoke of and whether forgiveness would be given, he was uncertain. Not that he was particularly after any.

The interrogation went on for quite a while before the two agents finally looked at each other and then at him. "I’m going to make a few calls; I’m going to suggest that you stay in Stark tower for the time being while we work out whether you can actually be trusted to go around unchecked," Agent Coulson said.

Loki nodded, understanding him quite well. It was much better than a cell; he was not down here to rot in jail, after all. Agents Coulson and Hand left the room while a couple of other agents remained. Darcy Lewis took that time to sit herself down opposite him and put her forearms down onto the table.

"When you accepted a place to stay with me…why? What were you up to?" Darcy asked. "Thor said you died, and that you died protecting him…but you understand why it’s difficult to believe you."

Loki leant forward, staring into her eyes with no guards up; he felt a great sadness, loneliness that he wasn’t sure he would ever be rid of…a wish that he could redeem himself, but he knew ultimately that few people would ever trust him completely. The girl seemed to pick up on his expression because sympathy filled her features.

"I only wanted a place to stay; you were so very kind to me, a stranger…" Loki said.

"I believe you. I don’t know why, I just do," Darcy said.

He smiled a little; he knew some part was because of what she’d seen in his eyes, but she didn’t want to voice it. Honestly, he would not have liked to hear it. She was certainly a girl of tact and he had grown fond of her over the time they had spent together.

"I’m going to be moving to New York; the company I worked for apparently had connections to H.Y.D.R.A. and has obviously been closed down…I gave Tony Stark a call and he’s still interested in hiring me…so chances are, we’ll be in a similar space again," Darcy said.

Loki leant back in his chair with a smirk. "Oh? If I did not know any better, I would think you enjoyed living with me, hm?" Loki said.

She rolled her eyes. "It is just an unfortunate coincidence that we’ll be in that area," Darcy said.

He laughed. Oh, she was good fun.

 

* * *

 

In the end, Loki was sent with Darcy and a few agents to Stark tower. Darcy had been allowed an apartment there for however long she wished, but Loki was to stay in the tower while he was under observation. It didn’t bother him too greatly; he had access to plenty of books, he had a new laptop courtesy of Darcy’s home insurance, among other things. Loki had been removed from his post within S.H.I.E.L.D., which didn’t surprise him, but he would be allowed to work with them from time to time.

After he had settled into his new place, he took to exploring the tower. There were plenty of people working there along with the odd agent who he assumed had been extensively interrogated in light of the most recent events…at least, he hoped so. The agents didn’t give any particular reaction to his presence, perhaps the odd nod, whereas the employees of Stark Industries were oblivious to his true identity. Word had it that S.H.I.E.L.D. had done quite a good cover up; he had spoken to a few agents and they had explained that all pictures and videos that had been taken of him had been covered up. Honestly, he wondered whether this was a good move; no one would be able to alert the authorities if Loki was hellbent on trying something else.

As it was, he would have some peace to live out the one hundred years he had to live on Midgard. So far it was actually more bearable than he had anticipated; he was able to have a little fun here and there. Living with Darcy had been refreshing; she talked a lot and spoke of many things he either couldn’t understand or hadn’t experienced. He had taken to looking up as many of the things he didn’t know on the laptop she’d given him and slowly he had been acclimatising to all of these films, television shows and the new books he hadn’t discovered yet.

Loki had a lot of spare time around the tower and decided to make things more interesting. First he switched the sugar and the salt in all of the kitchens, switched the coffee powder with chocolate powder (he wasn’t able to do that with the thicker stuff, so the instant coffee would do) and he put cling film over some of the toilets. He wanted to place some whoopie cushions down, but unfortunately he had to make do with what was already available to him.

So when he ventured up to the top floor one day, he found Tony there and stopped, quite unsure of whether the man would want his company.

"Reindeer Games. What brings you to the top of my tower; are you here to rescue me?" Tony asked.

He was sat on one of the sofas reading a book. Loki recognised the reference of tower and rescue to the fairy story involving Rapunzel. The man was quite fond of these jokes of his, though they reminded him a little of Darcy as well. Hers were, however, far more tolerable. Loki walked further in and sat down on the sofa opposite him.

"It surprises me that you would allow me residence in your tower," Loki said.

"I’m a second chances kind of guy; I’ve got skeletons of my own, it’d be hypocritical to not allow another a second chance. That and the mindfuck," Tony said.

"Ahh, the weapons, yes?" Loki asked.

"Bingo," Tony said.

Silence fell between them for a few moments before Tony spoke again.

"Like what you did with the coffee and chocolate powder by the way; Pepper has now taken to sniffing the chocolate powder before she uses it," Tony said.

Loki chuckled. "Admittedly I am limited in my resources here," he said.

"I’ll tell you what, I’ll get you some hilarious Earth prank items for you, if you don’t direct them at Pepper…well, not intentionally," Tony said with a wink. "You can’t control who opens the community cupboards."

Loki held out his hand. "It is a deal; it surprises me that you did not specify yourself," he said.

Tony shook his hand. "That would be boring, besides, I want to see what you can do. Another thing…if you can pull a great prank on Fury or Natasha then I’ll reward you by sneaking you out to a bar and we can get wasted…though you’ll have to drink a hell of a lot," Tony said with a chuckle. "We all went out sometime and your brother was sober by the end."

"Without my magic, I will be more vulnerable than Thor. I can hold it better than he can when I have my powers, for the magic counteracts it automatically," Loki said.

"Don’t you mean…automagically?" Tony smirked.

Loki laughed and he smiled at him widely; he was going to like Tony very much.

 

* * *

 

A month rolled by and the opportunity to pull a prank on the Black Widow arose when she came to stay in the tower. He had asked for Tony’s help in gaining access to Natasha’s room and he got it, so carefully pulled it off and returned to the top floor lounge. Tony and Darcy were already there and Pepper soon joined them.

"Mischief managed, we’ll probably be getting the others in here soon and, well…" Tony said with a snort.

"That is quite alright, Night light, I can manage," Loki said. He had taken to throwing the nicknames right back at him.

"Hey, I got the arc reactor removed, it doesn’t work anymore," Tony said.

"You still use it on your suit," Loki said.

"…" Tony was silent for a moment. "True."

Steve was the first one to walk in and sit down beside Tony. He took one look at Loki and straightened up a little.

"I was told about this…and I can already tell that you’re not the same man you once were," Steve said.

"Wow, pretty quick there Cap," Tony said.

Steve looked at the man who spent a lot of time tinkering. "There are some strange things in this world…and I just found out my best friend is alive and is an assassin who doesn’t remember himself," Steve said.

Tony clapped him on the shoulder. "It’s never too late. Maybe Asgard can fix him…they sure as hell owe us," Tony said, winking at Loki playfully.

Then it was Thor’s turn to walk in and he had Jane in tow. He watched Darcy run up to Jane and hug her, but he didn’t see much more than that as Thor had stormed straight up to him and looked rather angry. Anyone would think Loki had pulled a trick on him.

Loki stood up as Thor began speaking loudly at him.

"What is the meaning of this, brother? I heard of your survival and trickery from father…how could you?" Thor asked.

"If you spoke to him, then you will know exactly why," Loki answered calmly.

"You could have told me, instead of pretending to be father!" Thor said.

"I apologise…truly, I had thought you might prefer to be without the burden; you had not had much chance to spend time with your Jane," Loki said.

"I thought you believed I should let her go?" Thor asked.

Loki laughed, but said nothing. He wasn’t going to tell him the truth. "Some things change," Loki said.

"What the hell is he doing here?!"

He looked around and saw Clint Barton stood there. Of course the man wouldn’t have forgiven him by now; he didn’t expect him to. Tony stood up and stopped beside Loki after Thor had moved away.

"Let’s not trash my tower again; we’re all here to socialise and Loki’s not gone to crazy town in all the time he’s been here," Tony said, shoving some food into his mouth. Dried fruit from the looks of it.

Needless to say, Barton didn’t stay and Natasha left as well. Tony clapped him on the shoulder.

"They’ll need some time…but more importantly, did you put itching powder in Natasha’s clothes?" Tony asked.

Loki smirked. "Indeed. Kudos to her for having so much control, but not enough to hide it completely," he said.

"Let’s hope she doesn’t find out, then," Tony said with a chuckle.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like with my other fics, you're free to offer any prompts or things you'd like to see happen here. This part of the fic won't be exploring past friendship (that comes later in the series, fear not!!!!). I'll do my best to incorporate it if it works. 
> 
> If anyone's still looking for an Ao3 invite, don't hesitate to contact me on Tumblr at GyoroandUrurun or add an @gmail.com to email me instead.


	5. Oh, this feels like a test

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki manages to spend some time with Darcy, but nothing is ever dull in Stark tower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!
> 
> I'm sorry for the wait, I've had muse issues. There's a bit of fluff and action in this chapter, so yoohoo. Was tasteful about it. No, sorry kiddies, it's not the bedroom antics. That comes in the next part of the series, I promise. ;) 
> 
> Thanks for all the kudos and comments, they mean a lot to me. <3

**July, 2013.**

**Stark tower.**

 

Loki was utterly bored.

Tony Stark had gone off to some other home of his, Thor was up in Asgard and while the good Captain did accept him and was giving him a second chance, he was still a bit uncomfortable around him. He could understand that; he felt a little of the same and he told as much, told him that he didn’t have to accept him as quickly as Tony had. The one good thing that came from that conversation was that they did manage to have a laugh; Tony was Tony, it wasn’t a surprise that he’d become quite amicable with Loki.

Of course, the two assassins hated him.

As for Bruce, well, he had gone off somewhere in the world, likely the best case for him while Loki was under surveillance. S.H.I.E.L.D. didn’t trust him. Honestly, he was a little afraid of the hulk, or at least he was the one he feared the most on this realm. Fear was child’s play here when compared to the wrath of Thanos. Loki was glad he was here, mostly safe from the titan. He was quite sure Hel had allowed for his ability to hide from most to remain and he hoped it kept him out of Thanos’ sights.

He had an idea. Darcy.

It had been about two months since the revelation of who he actually was and he hadn’t really seen Darcy properly in that time. Loki understood, of course; it was a big thing, him pretending to be someone else and tricking her. As harmless as it was, he understood. But now he wished to see about mending their relationship and starting over.

Loki made his way towards Darcy’s room, but realised that it would perhaps be better if he came bearing presents. So he found a few agents and asked one of them to pick a few things up for him. After all, he wasn’t allowed outside the tower, so someone had to fetch things for him. He knew they were paid well, so why not? Thankfully, he had asked one of the nicer agents, one of the ones who weren’t hostile and mocking.

When they returned with the Starbucks coffee and the cake, he thanked him and made his way up to Darcy’s room. It was her favourite coffee and cake, so it should work. Juggling the cake and the coffee in one hand to knock on her door was nothing for his dexterous hands.

Darcy opened the door and looked at him warily.

He held up the coffee and the cake. "I come bearing a coffee and cake, just the way you like them."

"Is there something you want?" Darcy asked.

"Look, I apologise for tricking you; I meant no harm, I assure you. I just could not resist, you were a familiar face and I found you—still find you—rather amusing. On further getting to know you, I found you to be exceptionally intelligent and enjoyable to be around. I just wish to talk to you, to be able to start over…but of course, I understand if you do not wish it. I give you these not as a bribe, but as a present," Loki said, offering them to her.

Darcy stared at them for a moment before taking them and gesturing with her head to follow her inside. Surprised, he followed her and shut the door. Her apartment was similar to his own, except a little bigger from what he could see. He was, after all, a villain. Villains shouldn’t get luxury…they should get a cell, but Tony Stark and S.H.I.E.L.D. were surprisingly accommodating…perhaps more the former. He didn’t need a mind reading spell to know Director Fury would want him in a cell.

"Take a seat…do you want a drink? You didn’t bring one…" Darcy said.

"I am perfectly alright, but thank you for your kindness," Loki responded.

"Oh my God, ju-just stop, you know? You’re like…this super-villain and you’re being all sweet, it’s kinda freaky," Darcy said.

Loki chuckled and sat down. "I wasn’t always a villain, you know," he said.

Darcy sat down and put her coffee to the side in order to reach into the paper bag to bring out two Starbucks cake slices of her favourite kind and he could tell she liked them, because her eyes widened to saucers and she put the paper bag to the side while clutching the plastic tub. She stood back up and raced into the kitchen and brought back a fork. She threw herself back into the seat.

"Damned God of Mischief and his stupid cake and coffee persuasion skills," Darcy muttered, half-heartedly.

"You know I am right here," Loki said, amused.

"Sssh, I’m eating cake right now. You can’t disturb this sacred time," she said.

Loki chuckled as he watched her, deeply focused on her cake. She was a quirky little thing, he couldn’t help but be fascinated by her. She was funny, intelligent, inspirational even. Living with her for the time he had made him want to be a better person, but he wasn’t quite sure why. Like with some things, though, he would have to find out why later. He looked forward to finding out.

"So, go on, why did you disguise yourself and live with me? I know I asked before, but I just want to know outside that setting," Darcy said.

"I had not planned to bump into you; it was a coincidence, perhaps fate, and without my magic, I was effectively only able to rely on mortal means. You offered me a place to live even though you did not yet know me. You were perhaps a foolish girl, but you have a big heart. Now I wish only to get to know you better, but only if you wish it," Loki said.

"No ulterior motives? Sleep with your brother’s friend to hurt him?" Darcy asked.

"Not at all. I do not have any intention of looking for romance," Loki answered.

"You don’t need romance to have sex with someone," Darcy said.

"I usually do. I rarely engage in meaningless sex," Loki said.

"Cute," Darcy teased.

He narrowed his eyes at her and reached over to give her a playful shove. Darcy playfully glared at him and gave him a shove back. She smiled and they laughed.

"Alright, how about we watch a movie…see how you like it," Darcy said.

"Oh, this feels like a test."

Darcy grinned at him and he smirked back at her.

 

* * *

 

The movie was very, very good and very funny. In fact, they had watched the sequel after realising that this Ace Ventura was his kind of man. Humorous, confident in his own right and utterly annoying to those around him. He thought that perhaps he should show Thor the movie, he did wonder what he would think, likely groan and regret that Loki had seen it at all. That it could influence his wayward brother.

Three days had passed since and he had gone down to Darcy’s room with delightful offerings. Yes, of course, he was trying to make it up to her both in presents and general chatter, but he didn’t believe there was anything wrong with it. He just wanted to be nice and he figured he’d present her with two things she liked as a treat.

As it was now, he was sat in the penthouse lounge with Darcy, helping her knit. He held the wool around his fingers while she knit. It was quite therapeutic to watch and he found himself wanting to try it himself. Steve walked in with Barton and he looked up.

"Hey Darcy, hey Loki," Steve said.

"Hi Steve, how are you?" Darcy asked, not even looking up from her knitting.

Barton was glaring at Loki, but Loki didn’t really care. He returned his attention to Darcy’s knitting needles. They stayed there for a while, the two Avengers left and he honestly thought that this banishment might actually be rather pleasant, at least for now. He knew that he was going to have to say goodbye to any friends he did manage to make in his time here. He had wondered whether it would be better to just cut himself off from everyone, but he knew that it wouldn’t help him.

If his own brother could fall in love with a mortal and not care that Odin would likely not give him an apple, thus meaning he would be heartbroken one day, then he could live with the humans too and go through whatever he may. He looked sideways at Darcy, who was rather content knitting her hat, and he quite liked it so far. It was green, after all. Loki also enjoyed being close to her; in the past, he had never been a particularly touchy feely person, unless of course it was with a man, woman or otherwise that he courted, but now…it was utterly strange to him.

Then again, she was like no woman he had properly met.

Darcy finished the hat about an hour later and she turned to him, placing it on his head. He laughed, not having realised it was for him that she knit.

"Why, thank you Darcy," he said.

She grinned and rolled up the rest of the wool, sliding the needles into her pocket. "Wanna watch a movie?" She asked.

"Yes, why not? A comedy, please," Loki said.

"Who knew ex-super-villain Loki would hate dystopian movies?" Darcy teased.

"If I wanted to watch a horror story, I would simply ask a telepath to make me relieve my own memories," Loki said, a playful humour in his voice to mask the sincerity.

"Yes, we’ll definitely watch some comedy. Maybe some romance. How about Rumour has it, it’s pretty damn good," Darcy said.

"Lead the way, I know very few of your Midgardian motion stories," Loki said.

However, they barely stepped out of the lift into Darcy’s corridor when there was a great shake of the building and he found himself pushing her to the floor, hovering above her, trying not to be too inappropriate, but with the current threat, he couldn’t risk her getting hurt.

"Hey, c’mon," Darcy grumbled.

"No, Darcy. That was one of those explosives. I am quite sure…yes, we are under attack. My magic may be gone, but my hearing is not," Loki said. "I am going to protect you, whether you like it or not."

Another explosive hit the building and then they heard the screaming. It was times like this he wished he had his magic, however he was no less deadly. He positioned his feet and took hold of Darcy, pulling her up to her feet and, keeping her close, they walked through the corridor. The lights flickered before turning to emergency mode. Despite her earlier protests, Darcy held onto him.

"I’d just like to point out that I don’t need—" Darcy started.

"Hush, there is no shame in needing help, though I suppose I am a hypocrite saying that. Even so, I have had centuries of fighting experience, please let me protect you. In return, I will teach you how to fight once we are safe," Loki said.

He heard a bit of a huff and a sigh, but she didn’t argue any further. Just as well, he heard footsteps up ahead and saw them. Agents who could have been either S.H.I.E.L.D. or H.Y.D.R.A. with guns stepped down the corridor and suddenly aimed their guns. Definitely the latter. Loki quickly pressed Darcy into the wall behind him, just in time as they fired off a few shots and the bullets dropped to the ground. Surely they knew who he was, therefore knew their bullets had no affect.

He noticed two of the six of them move their guns ever so slightly and he watched those bullets, moving with quick precision to block the small blind spots that could lead to Darcy getting hurt. He quickly managed to reach back and gently removed the knitting needles from her pocket; he couldn’t believe he had been so stupid as to not keep his knives on him, but then he was practising trying to be trustworthy. He also reached back and plucked the chopsticks from her hair bun.

"I will buy you some new needles," Loki said.

"Why?"

"Close your eyes," Loki said.

He threw all four objects at once and four of the gunmen fell. If they were lucky, they would survive, but he was prioritising Darcy’s safety right now and while he had killed plenty in the name of good in the past as Thor had, he wasn’t sure of the rules of his banishment. He reached into Darcy’s other pocket and took out her wool, slowly moving her sideways towards the nearest door.

"Quickly…get inside that room," he whispered and as soon as she did, all hell broke loose.

It took only minutes, but the agents were out for the count. He quickly joined Darcy in the room and was quickly greeted with a hug.

"Oh my God, I can’t believe-I can’t believe this!" Darcy mumbled into his top. "Thank you, oh God I’d be dead without you."

Loki rubbed her hair. "I hope those items were not special," he said.

"Nope…I can’t believe you managed to make weapons out of-out of…knitting and chopsticks," Darcy said, with a humourless laugh.

"I am very good at improvisation. Now, let us quickly get some things from your apartment and be on our way," Loki said, taking her hand. "Perhaps you will want to close your eyes if you do not wish to see the sight outside."

He led her outside and quickly towards her room, where he took a whole bunch of her knives and pocketed them in his suit jacket before leading her back out and down the corridor, towards the stairwell and he led her down the stairs. They were, however, the kind of stairs that had quite a large space in the middle.

"Darcy, you are going to need to trust me," Loki said, before picking her up. "Hold on tight."

He climbed onto the railing after she tightened her limbs around him and he dropped down between the staircases until he landed on the ground as carefully as he could. Loki put her down and took her hand, opening the door and looking around. Steve was fighting a few agents to the right and Barton was to the left. Before he could do anything, something exploded to the left and he heard Barton yell out. Loki carefully made his way towards the fallen Avenger and saw that he was still alive.

He knelt down next to him; Barton had his hands over his ears and they were bleeding. The agents he had been fighting were dead, so that was good. Loki carefully put his hand on Barton’s shoulder.

"Barton, I know you do not trust me, but you are going to have to," Loki said.

Barton looked at him frantically, wariness was drowned out by pain and panic, and Loki had a bad feeling about it. It was confirmed when the man started signing.

_I can’t hear what you’re saying._

Loki signed back. _It appears the explosion has damaged your inner ears. I will attempt to get you to a healer. Are you capable of standing?_

_Prioritise Darcy, she is a civilian. I will try._

He watched as the man tested out the movement of his legs. Satisfied, Loki helped him up and, keeping Darcy close, walked towards Steve who was also heading their way.

"Are you alright?" Steve asked, checking the three of them, his concern mainly on the agent.

"He has lost his hearing, it is uncertain whether it is permanent; if I had my magic, I could likely heal him myself, however…" Loki said.

"Let’s get out of here," Steve said.

"How about you bring up the rear and I will lead; Darcy, stand behind me and—" Loki said, then signed. _Barton, stick behind Darcy._

What an unlikely team they made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've heard Clint is deaf (in some way, I don't know the extent) in the comics and I think some are miffed he isn't in the films, which is fair game really because there aren't many deaf or blind characters. So I thought I'd work it in. Hopefully tastefully done and I imagine Clint as being adept in sign language without having been deaf before, just seems like a useful thing to have when you're on missions and need to communicate silently (an example of that can be seen in my Stars and Sense fic. xD)
> 
> And, well, Loki's over a thousand years old, I headcanon him knowing soooooooooo many languages. =D
> 
> Anyway, until next time~~ Thanks for the support, I know waiting for updates can be exasperating.


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